Draft gear



Jan. 9, 1934. D. F. SPROUL 1,943,043

DRAFT GEAR Filed March 7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Donadfliproub Jana1934- 'n. F. SPROUL 1,943,043

DRAFT GEAR Filed March 7, 1928 2 SheetsSheet 2 Do $5 RE; 42 w m PatentedJan. 9, 1934' DRAFT GEAR Donald F. Sproul, Chicago, Ill., assignor ofonehalf to- Cardwell Westinghouse 00., a corporation of Delaware, andone-half to W. H. Miner, Inc, a corporation of Delaware ApplicationMarch 7, 1928.

7 Claims.

The invention relates to draft gears of the type in which resistance issecured by the use of one or more sets of nested bowed spring plates,means being provided for applying pressure to the plates tending tostraighten them.

The object of the invention is to provide shoes forming seats for theends of the spring plates and friction surfaces for sliding engagementwith other parts of the gear; and it consists of a structure such ashereinafter described and as" shown in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal vertical section of the gear;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of a wedge element and Fig. 5 is a Viewin perspective of one of the friction shoe.

The coupler butt 10, coupler extension or yoke 11, and front followerplate 12 are of common form.

A casing or chambered follower 13, enclosed within the yoke 11, servesor may serve to transmit the stress of buff to the bufling lugs (notshown) elements of the gear, and, as shown, carries at its open end. aset of wedges 14, 15, which are formed integrally with its side walls.

A second set of wedges 16, 1'7, cooperate with the wedges 14, 15 and areseated against the front follower 12. Interposed between the wedges 16,1'7, are two groups, 18, 19, of nested bowed spring plates, disposedlonigtudinally of the gear, the groups bowing inwardly and bearingagainst each other. Friction and bearing shoes 20, 21, 22 and 23, areapplied to the ends of the two groups of spring plates, those at theirforward ends resting against the follower 12, and those at theirrearward ends resting against the plate 24. Preferably the shoes 20 to23 are L-shaped, each having an arm, as 25, seating against the innerface of one of the wedges 16, 17.

The inner or rearward end of each of these wedges normally engages theplate 24, and has an outwardly extending flange 26, increasing the areaof the bearing contact therewith, and forming a lip for normallyengaging the rearward end of one of the wedges 14, 15.

Helical springs, as 2'7, 28, react between the closed rearward end ofthe casing 13 and the plate 24, which constitutes a spring seat. Thelength of the casing 13 is such that when the gear It also houses thespring and wedging Serial No. 259,693

is fully compressed its forward end comes in. contact with the follower12, and limits the compressivemovement. Normally the wedges 16, 1'7, andthe spring plates 18, 19, project beyond the open end of the casing 13,but are at alltimes supported by its bottom wall.

The cooperative action of the gear elements in draft and buff is thesame. In the one case the casing 13 is drawn forward; in the other thewedges 16, 17, and spring plates 18, 19, and their associated parts, areforced backward. In both instances the movement is resisted by thesprings 27, 28, and in both wedges 16, 1.7, are are forced inwardly,compressing and flattening the spring plates. Friction is developedbetween the follower 12 and the wedges 16, 17; between the shoes 20 to23 and the plates 12 and 24;. and between the arms 25 of the shoes 21,v23, and the wedges 16, 17, as the straighteningv of the spring plates18, 19, moves the plate 24 away from the wedges 16, 17.

The shoes 20 to 23 protect the follower 12 and plate 24 from the thrustpressure of the individual spring plates which otherwise would tend tocorrugate their faces and provide a series of ribs over which the groupof plates must ride as the gear is compressed and released. The shoesand their arms thus provide for frictional engagement of parts ofsubstantial area and smooth surface, and prevent excessive strains uponthe spring plates by permitting the free movement of thei ends inwardand outward.

While an eificient and, so far as now advised, preferred form ofconstruction is shown, the invention is of suflicient scope to includeother embodiments.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a draft gear, in combination, a pair offollowers, two groups of nested bowed spring plates, the convex faces ofthe two groups being in contact, shoes interposed between the ends ofthe plates and the followers frictionally engaging the latter and havingarms facing the concave faces of the plates, wedge sets acting on theouter faces of the arms for straightening the plates, means for urgingthe wedging elements together, and spring means for resisting theelongation of the plates due to their straightening by the wedgingaction.

2. In a draft gear, in combination, a casing having wedging faces on itsside walls adjacent its open end, a spring housed within the casing, afollower plate forming a seat for one end of the spring, a followerfacing the open end of the casing, a pair of groups of nested bowedplates positioned longitudinally of the gear between the follower andthe follower plate and having their convex faces in contact, L-shapedplates each having one arm interposed between and bearing upon one ofthe groups of spring plates and the named follower plate and its otherarm projecting along the outer face of the plates, and a pair of wedgescooperating with the casing wedges and bearing on the last-named arms ofthe L-shaped plates.

3. In a draft gear, in combination, a plate follower, an opposedchambered follower, a spring and a seat therefor housed within thechambered follower, two groups of longitudinally disposed inwardly bowedspring plates interposed between the plate follower and the spring seatand normally under pressure from both, wedge means acting laterallyinward upon the spring plates, and plates interposed between each groupof spring plates, the spring seat, the plate follower and the wedgemeans and having frictional engagement with the spring seat andfollower.

4. In a draft gear, in combination, a plate follower, an cpposedchambered follower having an open end and inwardly and backwardlyinclined wedge faces adjacent thereto, a movable spring seat within thechambered follower, a spring reacting between the seat and the closedend of the chambered follower, a pair of wedges seated against the platefollower and cooperating with the wedge faces of the chambered follower,their inner faces being parallel with the axis of the gear, and angleplates seated against the inner faces of the wedges and respectivelyagainst the plate follower and the spring seat, and two groups oflongitudinally disposed inwardly bowed spring plates, the ends of theplates bearing upon transverse flanges of the angle plates and urgingthe spring seat inwardly by reason of their elongation as they arestraightened, due to the wedge pressure.

5. A draft gear comprising in combination a pair of stop engagingfollowers, a helical spring reacting upon one of the followers, a springseat at the opposite end of the spring, two groups of opposedlongitudinally disposed inwardly bowed spring plates, located betweenthe spring seat and the other follower, independent friction shoesinterposed respectively between the spring seat and the last-namedfollower and the ends of the bowed plates and being. laterally movablewith the plates, wedge means for straightening the plates and therebycompressing the helical spring, and means resisting outward lateralmovement of the wedge means.

6. In a draft gear, in combination, a pair of sill-engaging followersone thereof being a plate and the other being chambered, a springWithing the chambered follower and reacting against its closed end, aspring seat engaging the other end of the spring, two groups oflaterally engaged nested inwardly bowed spring plates located betweenthe plate follower and the spring seat, friction shoes interposedbetween the ends of the spring plates and both the follower and springseat, and wedge means urging the spring plates and shoes laterallyinward upon compression of the gear and thereby straightening andelongating such plates against the resistance of the first-named spring.

'7. In a friction shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with acasing having interior inwardly converging, opposed surfaces; of a mainfollower, said casing and follower being movable toward and away fromeach other lengthwise of the mechanism, a pair of blocks movableinwardly of the casing. withsaid main follower, said blocks being forcedlaterally toward each other by movement inwardly on said convergingcasing surfaces; a main spring resistance within the easing; a laminatedplate spring including longitudinally disposed spring plate membersinterposed between said blocks adapted to move inwardly in unison withthe main follower to transmit the actuating force to said main springresistance and compress the same during relative approach of thefollower and casing, said spring plates yieldingly resisting relativelater- 110 a1 approach of the shoes, said plates being normally bowedand being flexed to straighten the same by pressure exerted by relativeapproach of the shoes, thereby effecting lengthwise elongation of saidlaminated plate spring means and 115 compression of said main springresistance to an extent in excess of the relative movement of the casingand main follower; and spring follower means interposed between theinner ends of the plates of the laminated plate spring and the 120 mainspring resistance, said spring follower including a follower platebearing directly on the main spring resistance and shoes laterallymovable on said spring follower plate and engaging the inner ends of theplates of the laminated 125 plate spring.

DONALD F. SPROUL.

